In the following description, holding instruments, auxiliary instruments, instrument feeding trays and the like shall be briefly referred to as auxiliary equipment.
For surgical interventions on a patient lying on an operating table auxiliary equipment is usually arranged and fastened on standardized side rails of rectangular cross-section provided laterally at the operating table. Modern operating tables are divided into plural table segments which can be adjusted and positioned relative to each other so that the operating table can be adapted to the type of surgical intervention, the particular operating situation as well as the size and shape of the patient. For example, cardio-surgical interventions frequently require the patient's thorax to be positioned higher than the legs and the pelvis at a defined angle. This is achieved by tilting head-side segments of the operating table.
The side rails of the operating table are appropriately segmented just as the table itself. As a rule, a side rail segment to which auxiliary equipment can be fastened is assigned to each table segment. Adjustments of a table segment produce corresponding changes in position of the respective side rail segments and thus also of the auxiliary equipment arranged there. Under certain circumstances it may then be a drawback that the latter is no longer located in the previous carefully adjusted position.
From the state of the art devices are known by which afore-mentioned auxiliary equipment can be arranged on and fastened to an operating table. Additional rails that are fastened to a side rail of the operating table and, apart from the latter, offer additional options for fixing accessories, are rigidly connected to the table rail and therefore follow each change of position. Furthermore, vises are known which are adapted to be clamped to a table rail and which have a ball joint. Said devices are used, e.g. as infusion holder or for an instrument feeding tray. In this case, via the ball joint a vertical alignment of the holder and, resp., a horizontal alignment of the instrument feeding tray is possible.
From DE 403952 a coupling device for connecting an instrument tray to an operating table or the like is known in which an instrument tray is movably fastened by a clamp to a longitudinal rail of the operating table. The clamp carries a height-adjustable supporting rod including a cardan joint. A rod which on one side supports the instrument tray and on the opposite side carries a counter-weight is rotatable in the cardan joint. The counter-weight keeps the instrument tray balanced in each position of the operating table.
The prior art devices disadvantageously are either vises with adjusting options which are adapted to accommodate only one piece of auxiliary equipment at a time, however, or are auxiliary rails which, although adapted to support plural pieces of auxiliary equipment, are rigidly arranged relative to the respective operating table segment and do not offer any adjusting or adapting options. When plural pieces of auxiliary equipment are adjustably arranged by means of vises, it is a drawback that each piece of auxiliary equipment has to be individually adapted to the new configuration of the table when the operating table or individual segments thereof have been adjusted. This is time-consuming and impractical, especially when the adjustments of the operating table are required during operation.
Finally operating tables used to be covered by sterile cloths so that in this way also the table rails are covered by the cloths. This impedes exact positioning and fastening of auxiliary equipment at the covered table rail.